We recently compiled a list of the Warren Buffett Dividend Stocks by Sectors and Industries. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) stands against the other Warren Buffet-approved dividend stocks.
Warren Buffett is a well-known figure in the investment community, and his reputation requires no introduction. He is one of those rare investors whose strategies are closely emulated by countless newcomers to the field. This widespread admiration stems from the fact that Buffett operates in a class of his own. He remains committed to the investment principles he has relied on throughout his career, particularly value investing. The Oracle of Omaha’s lack of enthusiasm for the current AI trend highlights his steadfast dedication to the strategies that have guided his investment approach for decades.
At the Berkshire annual shareholder meeting in May, Buffett was asked about AI’s potential impact on traditional industries. He responded by acknowledging that he was not knowledgeable about the technology but emphasized that this lack of understanding did not imply he dismissed its existence, importance, or significance in any way. That said, Buffett is also enthusiastic about several other strategies beyond value investing.
Also read: Warren Buffett Disciple Guy Spier’s 10 High Conviction Stock Picks
Dividend stocks have been a staple in Berkshire’s portfolio for a long time, with nearly 93% of the holdings focused on them. The media has often highlighted Buffett’s affinity for dividend stocks, particularly because Berkshire Hathaway, his own company, does not pay a dividend. His approach has proven successful, as the investment portfolio managed by Buffett and his team is projected to generate around $6 billion in annual dividend income. Remarkably, $4.36 billion of that income from common and preferred stock dividends comes from just five companies.
Buffett’s approach to dividend investing isn’t driven by chasing the highest yield. Instead, he prioritizes identifying outstanding companies that can maintain and grow their dividends over the long term. He prefers a moderate yield from a stable, successful company over a higher yield from a less reliable and weaker one. If Warren Buffett has a preference for dividends, it’s clear he’s on the right track, given how significantly these stocks have contributed to overall market returns. His love for dividend stocks reflects the significant role these equities have played in contributing to the market’s overall returns over the years. Between 1993 and the end of 2022, the S&P 500 grew by 777%. However, when dividends were factored in, the S&P 500 saw an increase of over 1,400% during the same period. This indicates that dividends accounted for more than 20% of the market’s total return during those years.
Buffett carefully monitors the sectors and industries he invests in, which is a core aspect of his investment strategy. By the end of Q2 2024, the finance sector was the largest portion of his portfolio, followed closely by technology, with substantial investments also in basic materials and consumer goods. This article will explore some of the best Warren Buffett dividend stock selections across these different sectors and industries.
Our Methodology:
For this article, we analyzed Berkshire Hathaway’s 13F portfolio as of the second quarter of 2024 and picked dividend stocks from the portfolio. We mentioned the sectors and industries these stocks belong to and ranked them in ascending order of the hedge fund’s stake in them during Q2 2024.
We also measured hedge fund sentiment around each stock according to Insider Monkey’s database of 912 funds as of Q2 2024. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).
A woman using a payment terminal at the checkout of a store showing payment products and solutions.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)
Berkshire Hathaway’s Stake Value: $1,758,749,632
Sector: Financials
Industry: Credit Services
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is a New York-based credit card company that mainly offers payment card services to its consumers. The company stands as a leader in its industry, a fact consistently demonstrated through its earnings reports. In the second quarter of 2024, it had double-digit growth in both net revenue and earnings. This performance was bolstered by sustained healthy consumer spending, a 17% increase in cross-border volume, and strong demand for its value-added services and solutions, where net revenue grew by 18%, or 19% when adjusted for currency fluctuations. These results highlight how the synergy between payments and services creates distinct value for customers, further driving the shift toward digital solutions. The stock has surged by over 11% since the start of 2024 and its 12-month return came in at over 19%.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)’s global card count continues to grow steadily. By the end of Q2 2024, the company’s partners had issued 3.4 billion cards featuring its brands, including Maestro, which is being phased out. This represents an increase of about 200 million new cards compared to the same time in 2023 when the total was 3.2 billion.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is a strong dividend payer, having raised its payouts for 11 consecutive years. The company has also remained committed to its shareholder obligation as it returned $615 million to investors through dividends, which makes MA one of the best Warren Buffett dividend stocks. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.53%, as of August 21.
As of the close of Q2 2024, 142 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database held stakes in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), up from 148 in the preceding quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is over $15.3 billion. Berkshire Hathaway owned the third-largest stake in the company, worth over $1.7 billion.
Overall MA ranks 13th on our list of the best dividend stocks to buy according to Warren Buffett. While we acknowledge the potential of MA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued dividend stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued dividend stock that is more promising than MA but that trades at less than 7 times its earnings and yields nearly 10%, check out our report about the dirt cheap dividend stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.